Seven Cougars to Compete at Indoor Track & Field Nationals

PROVO, Utah - No. 23 BYU men's track and field will compete seven athletes in four events at this week's NCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

Read below for a full event schedule as well as notes on each athlete.

Event Schedule

Full Schedule

Men's Qualifiers

Casey Clinger // 6'0, Sr. // American Fork, Utah // American Fork High School

Clinger qualifies in three events – the 3000m, 5000m and DMR – after a historic indoor season. He set three new all-time school records in the 5000m, 3000m and as a member of the men’s DMR squad while also becoming No. 4 all-time at BYU in the mile. His 5000m, 13:17.36 school record in Boston on Dec. 3 bested Conner Mantz’s previous record by over 10 seconds. The senior’s 3000m time of 7:43.96 at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas surpassed Ed Eyestone’s 38 year-old record set in 1985. For the new DMR school-best (9:21.18), Clinger raced along with Kenneth Rooks, Sebastian Fernandez and Josh Taylor to beat the prior BYU record set in 2012 by nearly eight seconds. Clinger was the last leg for the squad competing in South Bend, Indiana on the Notre Dame campus Feb. 18.

2023 will be Clinger’s first time competing at indoor nationals. For the 5000m, he seeks to become the 13th Cougar to receive All-American honors in the event, while aiming to earn BYU's eighth All-American honors in the 3000m.

Clinger is a business management major and served a full-time mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sapporo, Japan (2019-20). He is married to former BYU women's volleyball libero, Morgan Bower Clinger.

Caleb Witsken // 6'3, Sr. // Logandale, Nevada // Moapa Valley High School

Witsken nailed down his qualifying mark for the pole vault early this season at BYU’s second home indoor meet on Jan. 14 with a 5.66m/18-6.75 clearance. The achievement put him at No. 3 all-time at BYU for the pole vault, over four inches ahead of Jeff Hansen’s fourth-place spot set in 2002. The accomplished senior enters nationals at fifth in the nation among pole vaulters, having maintained a top-five spot for the majority of the season.

Entering his third consecutive indoor nationals appearance, Witsken aims to earn his third-straight All-American honors. Doing so would make Witsken the first BYU pole vaulter to garner three consecutive All-American honors since Victor Weirich (2011-13) and mark the 16th All-American honor in school history for the event. Last season, he finished 10th overall to earn Second Team All-American honors. His best finish came in 2021, where he placed sixth overall with a clearance of 5.50m/18-0.5 to garner First Team All-American honors.

The exercise science major served a full-time mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Medellin, Columbia (2015-17). He is married to Alaina Witsken and enjoys playing the piano and organ.

Joey Nokes // 6'0, So. // Riverton, Utah // Riverton High School

Nokes qualified for indoor nationals in the 5000m after registering a 13:29.30 time at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season-Opener in Boston on Feb. 11, an achievement good for No. 4 all-time at BYU. This built on his previous finish of 13:33:69 at the first meet of the indoor season on Dec. 3, also in Boston. The sophomore also recorded an additional top-10 BYU mark, this time at No. 10 after his 3000m performance at the Razorback Invitational (7:51.36). 2023 marks his first appearance at indoor nationals. Like Clinger, Nokes seeks to become the 13th All-American in BYU history for the indoor 5000m.

An exercise science major, Nokes served a full-time mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Antananarivo, Madagascar and Charlotte, North Carolina (2019-21). He is fluent in Malagasy, Swahili and French.

Kenneth Rooks // 5'10, Jr. // Walla Walla, Washington // College Place High School

Rooks heads to Albuquerque, New Mexico after qualifying with the DMR team. He joins fellow squad members Josh Taylor, Sebastian Fernandez and Casey Clinger after their 9:21.18 school-record at Notre Dame on Feb. 18. Rooks success this season isn’t limited to the DMR –  he also set a new top-10 mark in BYU history in the mile, jumping ahead to No. 7 as he crossed the line at 3:59.65 in Arkansas at the Razorback Invitational in January. This year marks his first indoor nationals appearance as he seeks to help the Cougars win their first men's DMR national title since 2011 and third all-time.

The civil engineering major served a full-time mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kampala, Uganda and Orem, Utah (2019-21).

Josh Taylor // 6'0, So. // Richfield, Utah // Skyridge High School

The sophomore from Richfield, Utah qualifies with the DMR team after a prolific season that includes three school records: the DMR, 400m, and 4x400m relay. His qualifying performance for nationals was the 9:21.18 DMR school-record set at Notre Dame in February. In the 400m, he matched Cade Lindahl’s all-time BYU 400m record (46.25) in Lubbock, Texas at Texas Tech’s Jarvis Scott Open. On top of that, Taylor was a key member of the 4x400m relay team that shattered an eight year-old school record by nearly two seconds. The squad (which also included Trey Jackson, Spencer Carlile and Eli Hazlett) posted a 3:05.73 time over the same weekend he tied the 400m record in Texas. 2023 marks Taylor’s first trip to indoor nationals.

Taylor, a construction management major, served a full-time mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Puebla, Mexico and Lubbock, Texas (2019-21). He is fluent in Spanish and is married to BYU women's basketball guard Mayci Taylor.

Sebastian Fernandez // 5'11, So. // Andover, Minnesota // Anoka High School

Fernandez qualifies with the DMR team after the school record set at Notre Dame. Following up a breakout freshman season last year, he furthered his climb in rarefied air among the BYU top-10 charts this indoor season. On Jan. 28, the sophomore sprung ahead to No. 3 all-time at BYU in the 800m after racing a 1:47.63 at the Razorback Invitational in Arkansas. This time was an improvement by over a second compared to his then No. 5 all-time, 1:48.84 finish at the BYU Indoor Invitational Dec. 9. 2023 will mark his first indoor nationals appearance.

Fernandez, a chemical engineering major, is fluent in Spanish and has traveled to 27 countries. He and his teammates aim to become the seventh squad in BYU history to receive All-American honors for the event in indoor competition.

Lucas Bons // 6'1, So. // Dublin, Ohio // Dublin Coffman High School

Bons heads to indoor nationals for the second time after finishing as a Second Team All-American in the mile (4:01.97) in 2021. The sophomore will compete with the DMR team this year after posting a 3:57.11 mile time at Washington's Ken Shannon Invitational two weeks ago. He is currently No. 2 all-time at BYU in the mile, having clocked a 3:55.45 race at Washington in 2021. For the DMR, he and his teammates aim to become the seventh squad in school history to receive All-American honors.

The mechanical engineering major served a full-time mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire (West Africa) from 2018-20. He is married to Sydney Cluff Bons.

Men's History of Qualifying Events at Indoor Nationals

Additional Information

• Tickets
• Parking
  • Convention Center parking on Friday/Saturday: $20.00
  • All uncovered downtown lots will be free on Saturday